It was no more than coincidence that former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami arrived in the United States Friday, one day after the U.N.-imposed deadline on his country to halt its uranium enrichment program, according to U.S. officials. The United States granted Khatami an entry visa despite rising tension between Washington and Tehran over what the Bush administration considers Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons because -- a State Department spokesman said Thursday -- there is "no political substance to his visit." But observers said it was possible to read too little into the former president's trip as well as too much. While the timing may not have been deliberate, the international effort to pressure Iran into stopping uranium enrichment that could lead to weapons development did raise some questions about what was in effect a high-level Iranian visit.
Timing of Top Iranian’s Visit Curious
